Every once in a while it becomes necessary to get back to “the basics.” That phrase has a variety of connotations, but to sum it up, in this situation it could be best described as a return to simplicity. There are countless varieties to be found in the recipe book for building an attractive & fun vehicle, though for our purposes here at Stance:Nation a low ride height is seemingly the sole universal quality between them. In a world of limit-pushing and what seems like a competition of who can perform the most shocking modifications it’s easy to lose your head. Perhaps one of the best ways to maintain your sanity is to keep it back to clean and simple.
Photos By: Mario Klemm exclusively for StanceNation.com
The BMW 3-series, namely the E36, has always been a popular platform for a multitude of reasons. Their reasonable pricing, impressive driving behavior, tasteful good looks, along with a plentiful aftermarket certainly contribute to the strong following. You can find them road racing, as competitive autocross machines, drifting, and of course living the low life. Being so popular has its perks, while it may be more difficult to stand out, building a nice car is usually easier to accomplish in a well supported chassis.
This beautiful E36 coupe has been through a few stages in its lifetime, but now finds itself representing the simple/clean crowd very well. The M-Aero pieces fit the car just right, with subtle differences making a huge impact in comparision to the factory body styling. Avus Blau has always been one of my personal favorites among the BMW hues, and this car has seen a well-performed respray in the deep finish. The Classic Race decklid spoiler replaces the DTM-Style wing once found on the car, a suiting finishing touch amongst the OEM body panels.
Period-correct RH ZW1 wheels fill the BMW’s arches, the gold hue contrasting well with Avus Blau. Modest 17″ diameter wheels are perfectly proportioned to the E36. The ‘down and out’ stance is acheived without trying too hard; sized 17×8.5″ in the front and 17×9.5″ in the rear with all four effectively +18 ET utilizing custom spacers. Tires are 205/40/17s in the front with 215/40/17s stretched onto the rear wheels — enabling the polished lips to be brought close to the fenders using D2 Racing coilovers. Signature D2 Racing purple is also found behind the front wheels where the company’s 8-piston big brake system is employed for stopping power.
The rest of the car is near what BMW intended. Inside the updated black leather interior, a classic wooden Nardi tiller is put to work dodging potholes. When that fails, a heavy-duty aluminum skidplate is in place to protect the oil pan. While engine modifications are currently limited to an intake and exhaust system, future plans call for a streetable turbo kit. The M52B28 is a robust powerplant, recognized for big-power potential when coupled with a turbocharger. The owner tell us he’s not looking for 600+whp, just a fun setup.
We age and our tastes change. The way in which those preferences change is unique to each of us, however, clean and simple cars are universally enjoyed. While the styling is understated, the statement is profound. It’s all too easy to get carried away in these times. The simple life isn’t for everyone, but every now and then you’ve just got to stop, smell the roses and appreciate a clean build like this E36.
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Wheels/Tires/Suspension
17inch RH ZW1 rims
2.8degree neg camber in Front
4.5degree neg camber in Rear
Front- ET53+35mm spacer Manton-
Rear- ET41+23mm spacer from Manton
Front: 8.5 wide
Rear: 9.5 wide
Highpolished and painted centers in some Toyota Gold
Duro Performa HP1 205/40-17
Duro Performa HP1 215/40-17
D2 sport modified Coilovers
D2 Brakes in front 8Pot 330mm
Zimmermann Disks in rear with EBC Greenstuff -
Exterior
The whole car is repainted in the original color Avusblau this spring.
Headlights from DEPO with ageneyes
Black kidneys
///M-Aero-package factory mounted
Classic Race wing
5mm Aluminum skid plate -
Interior
Nardi Classic wood/chrome Steeringwheel
Black leather interior
Black interior roof
Harman & Kardon HIFI system + 12″ Kenwood Base in custom build box in spare wheel area -
Engine
M52B28
(2.8litre straight 6cyl Vanos)
Nothing special
M3 extractorpipe and a 2.5 system. DTM endmuffler
Shielded sport airintake
Adjustable Shortshift from Schmiedmann
Super clean. I love it. That color combo is perfect.
Owner, if you’re out there…what hub adapter did you use for your Nardi wheel? I recently picked up a Nardi woodie for my E36 and I’ve been having trouble wiring the horn. I’ve done a bunch of searches and haven’t really come up with a definitive solution. If you could shoot me an email at SL071886@gmail.com or hit me up on bimmerforums (username: stevethecurse) I’d really really appreciate it. Car looks sick dude, very nice touches.
I used a Luisi hub, don’t know the name of it if it has one but I have a swedish website with it, go to; http://www.seabeach.se/airbagnav-bmw-e34e36-p-255-c-316.aspx
(will send u an email to, in case u don’t read this)
Thats that! Thanks for the love guys!
Thanks dude!
Love the front. The rear stance is a bit funky looking to me. Overall its really clean.
Haha, I can agree with you. It looks way better outside internet though ;)
But I think imma go with tuck this year and lower it more in the rear to get rid of that funky you talkin about :) Thanks for the love!
yeah the rear looks weird. rest of the car is dope though.
car looks nice, but that ass looks soo funny!
was wondering where you bought that steering wheel from? I’m looking for a similar one, thanks.
Hey Sam!
My Nardi classic steeringwheel are bought from http://www.seabeach.se, a Swedish shop. But im sure u can find it where you live, or on ebay! :)
Hey your car looks really great. You obviously take great care of it. I see a lot of d2 coil overs recommended when searching for suspensions (other than bilstein or eibach.) If i may ask though, what exactly do you mean when you say “modified” d2 coil overs? I’m trying to find a good kit for my 99′ but am not sure if one pieces are the right direction for the e36.
Hey Sher! First of all, thank you! :)
The reason it says modified is because the model name of the D2 coilovers is “Sport Modified”, me myself didnt do any mods to them.
Then there is “Track Racing” “Super Racing” “Pro Drift” and so on, but those are way more expensive.
so if you want a qualitycoiloverkit worth the price and nothing more than just adjustable suspension thats not gonna be doing any hard racing every weekend, I highly recomend D2 sport modified!
I bought my e36 bolt on kit from http://www.streetperformance.se, a swedish shop. not sure if they ship international.
The raceland ultimos are good for the price around 400
The raceland ultimos are good for the price around 400